A diary, puportedly written by Nagappa during his stay with forest brigand Veerappan, has been found.

The diary contains details of the events that took place between August 25, when the former minister was abducted from his house in Chamarajanagar district, and and December 4. His body was recovered in a highly decomposed state from the Changdi forest area on December 8.

Going by the last entry in the diary, the doctors' opinion that Nagappa was killed on December 5 holds good.

Nagappa's family found the diary on Wednesday when they visited the spot where his body was found. The family also claimed that the empty cartridges that the Karnataka Task Force has claimed to have recovered from the spot were also located by them and not the police.

Nagappa's son-in-law, Kiran Patel, said the family would reveal the details of Nagappa's death soon. "We know who killed Nagappa and we will disclose that at the right time," he said.

In the diary, Nagappa has mentioned the details of his life in the brigand's captivity. He said he was not given any breakfast or allowed to go for walks. Lunch was served in the afternoon, while in the evening he was given an apple along with the supper.

In one entry in the diary, he mentions the visit of a Karnataka government emissary, who met him on October 5. A mysterious message that says 'forty crore, wireless message' indicates a heavy ransom may have been demanded by Veerappan for Nagappa's release.

A letter written by Nagappa to his wife was also found. Nagappa wrote that he regretted the fact that his son failed to take his exam due to his abduction. He also enquired about the health of his second daughter -- Pinki -- who delieverd a baby recently. Enquiring about family finances, he suggested to his wife that she raise loans from relatives. He also suggested that the turmeric crop stored in the godowns could be sold.

Books related to the Veerashaiva religion were also found along with his belongings. Empty sachets of toiletries, bottles of ghee, cashew nuts and mosquito repellents were in the bag.